1. Field
The present invention relates generally to printing, and particularly, to printing on cylindrical objects, and more particularly to printing on hollow cylindrical objects, such as cans, and hollow, partially cylindrical objects, such as bottles.
2. Description of the Problem and Related Art
Current methods of printing indicia on cylindrical objects, such as cans or bottles, include either spray painting, gravure application, or the like, as is known in the art. While these methods have great utility in mass production of such objects, they do not lend themselves to other markets, such as novelty advertising on bottles, which benefit from the ability to change designs rapidly.
Ink jet printing is well-known, and because it can be digitally controlled using a computer, it has the flexibility to allow a user to change designs as desired. Only recently, however, have advances in technology been made to enable true image rendering on non-planar objects. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,111,915 entitled, Methods and Apparatus for Image Transfer, issued Sep. 26, 2006, to Martinez, and LaCaze (the sole inventor herein) and which is incorporated herein fully by reference, describes an ink jet printer for the printing of indicia on solid non-planar objects such as baseball bats. Multiple bats are held in a horizontal carousel structure and are positioned relative to printheads and then rotated in relation to the printhead which is computer-controlled to apply ink according to a programmed image file.
However, this structure is not suitable for hollow cans or two-piece bottles. What is needed is a programmable ink jet printer that allows for the proofing of two-piece can and bottle designs, without the complexity and cost associated with in-line can and bottle production and printing, as well as allowing for low-speed, high-quality, flexible commercial production with instantaneously variable images on the object.